During the middle ages, troubadors, jugglers and other entertainers roamed the main routes of Europe, carrying songs, dances, tricks, and tales to the great feudal castles and town market squares. Their stages were often impromptu and could be found in nature, or borrowed from an existing porch or building. Sometime thereafter, the one man showman put his props and trapings into a cart before going on the road. In early America, there was a time when steamboats were rigged out as show boats. There was also a time when railroad box cars and flat cars competed with colorful circus wagons as stages.
These early beginnings are perhaps manifested in contemporary society in what is called "street theatre". Oftentimes in the summer small theatre groups will take to the street with a portable stage including a truck trailer or something similar. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,560,878 and 3,181,203 are exemplarly of theatres on wheels for street use.
Theatre in the hinterlands, however, is not limited to small groups taking to the streets. There is at least one project documented wherein the United States State Department was faced with the problem of sending examples of American theatre to foreign lands. In response to this problem, a so-called portable theatre was designed to have a stage, seating area, and various other support elements including an inflated dome to protect those inside from the weather. This theatre was transportable in a pair of jet cargo planes.
On a more mundane level, small children's theatres or puppet theatres are also known. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,705,386; 3,247,628 and 3,961,426 are exemplars.
Most relevant, however, to the present invention would be a type of portable theatre which transforms an interior space into theatre space which may be viewed by an audience. Recognizing what would be a most relevant field of art, however, does not imply substantial development of the field. In this case, the contrary is true. There are known, of course, various types of non-portable stages and proscenium theatres around which a building or room is constructed as a permanent facility. Also, a foldable theatre is known which is stored within or adjacent to a wall, and for use, folds or telescopes outwardly from the wall to form a theatre space. Further, table-like portable stages are known and are sometimes used in combination with a grid-like structure suspended from above. Such known combinations, however, may include movable tables, but any theatre space, even if created in a first location, is not modular and readily movable among a variety of locations. The present invention solves this problem. The present invention is not a stage, although it may be used with a stage. The present invention includes apparatus which creates a theatre space. The apparatus is modular. The apparatus is readily versatile and portable.